Three types of growth

This is a small piece about some of the lessons I have learned about growth over the last few years. These are just my opinions reflecting my experiences, but it may provide some clarity and/or benchmarks for some. There are people out there that have made careers studying this topic. I have purposefully not included their work here, as it is meant to represent my own, raw understanding of growth. Perhaps later on ill edit the post to include a few references.

I break growth down into three types, categorized by the desired end-state. This growth covers the entire spectrum from physical fitness and mental fortitude, to intellectual advancement. They are as follows:  

1)   Results Driven
2)   Objective Driven
3)   Identity Driven

 In my experience, these growth processes were also chronological, progressing as I matured as a human being and formed a clearer sight picture of what I wanted to accomplish in life. Which one is the most beneficial and the one someone should be striving for really depends on the situation and the individuals’ goals and ambitions.

Results Driven:
From the time I was a little kid until sometime mid-way through undergrad my growth was results driven. Playing sports growing up in Europe and finishing high school in Pennsylvania, I just wanted to win the next match. Likewise in school I just wanted to get good grades. Other than sports, I wasn’t well known for taking the extra steps and involving myself in extra-curricular activities to make me a more complete person.

Results were my motivator too while in undergrad at the University of Maryland. In the weight room I just wanted to be able to lift more and on the Jiu-Jitsu mats I just wanted to get as many subs as I could. In my engineering classes I cared mostly about my grades, rather than really investing myself in the topics at hand. Sure, you need to develop a deep understanding of the material to get good grades, but once the class was over I would not be upset of the knowledge quickly departed me.

Since I was not yet applying myself outside of the classroom (i.e. getting an engineering job or doing research), I had no forcing function to help me comprehend the practical applications of the material I was learning in class. For me, hands on practical applications of academic knowledge learned is the number one way to retain that knowledge long after the class is over. Since my primary focus was on grades, I did not force myself to consider much of the practical applications.

In short, the results driven motivation is generally associated with short-term growth. Improving on your previous bests simply because that is what makes you a better human being. Although this is certainly a positive approach to life, in my experience I was less likely to broaden my skill-set with this mindset.

Objective Driven:
When I came to the realization midway through my Co-Op year in undergrad that I wanted to dedicate my life to becoming an astronaut, my motivations for growing quickly changed to that of an objective driven mindset. No longer was short-term growth my focus. I knew that realizing my goal would be at least a fifteen year project. I would have to draw up a roadmap and strategically place growth opportunities spanning a wider spectrum along its path.

In drawing up my roadmap, I leaned on some of the knowledge I had gained through reading the many books and watching a number of documentaries about my end goal. The usual skill sets started to appear on my roadmap, such as pursuing a PhD, becoming SCUBA certified, and obtaining a pilots license.

For the next five years or so, until about midway through graduate school, I was relentlessly pursuing this objective driven growth. If it did not fall within the purview of the “traditional” astronaut skill set, I did not show a lot of interest in pursuing it.

As I continued to pursue interests and skills outside my regular “9-5” day-job, I began to realize and recognize how much I enjoyed learning them. The skills I was learning, from working as a volunteer scientific diver to running the university’s ToastMasters public speaking club, and from obtaining my pilots license to developing a coaching and fitness program for a youth hockey club, all started to blend together. I was able to use strengths gained from one pursuit to address weaknesses in another.  

At the same time I also began to realize that, no matter how hard you work, actually making it through astronaut selection remains a statistically unlikely outcome. Some might see this as a negative observation, but this actually served as a positive and life-changing realization for me.  

Identity Driven:
This revelation realigned my focus. No longer was my why, my life mission, my reason to be on this planet, to become an astronaut. Instead my life mission became simply becoming the best possible version of myself. Working every single day to move forward and be better, in all aspects of life, and to never stop learning and growing.

This has become my identity. I want people to know me as the person that never stops learning, and that is always growing and doing something new while staying proficient at all his other endeavors. I want to build the reputation that will allow people to think of me right away when they need to get a hard job done. I want to become the person known for his hard work and relentless dedication to the mission.

My professional goal is still to become an astronaut, but now I have discovered a life goal that aligns 100% with that professional goal. All the skills I learn, and all the growth I accrue, will help me in that endeavor. But at the same time I now have a mission, a lifestyle, and a reason to live that will allow me just as many opportunities and satisfactions in the statistically likely event I never make it to the astronaut corps. I am already at peace with that possibility well before it can materialize; all the while that same mindset makes my chances of succeeded more likely every day. 

The line between objective driven and identity driven growth is quite fine, and I am not yet sure how to put it into words exactly. In my own experience, the best way I can differentiate it is that through objective driven growth, you will ultimately be successful if you actually achieve that very specific objective. Through identity driven growth, the success criteria is a bit wider. This type of growth will allow me to feel successful if I feel happy, and at peace. What makes me happy is knowing I worked my tail off to get to where I need to go, and as long as I have put forth every single ounce of energy I have, I am happy wherever that road takes me.